Holliday Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The DC Touchdown Club presented by Capital Bank N.A. honored University of Maryland broadcaster Johnny Holliday with the Lifetime Achievement Award at its fifth annual 3M Awards Dinner Thursday in Bethesda, Md.

Once a top-rated radio personality, Holliday is best known for being for his role as the play-by-play voice for University of Maryland football and basketball and for hosting the Washington Nationals pregame and postgame shows on MASN. Holliday, who is in his 38th season broadcasting Maryland games, is a member of the Radio Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame and he has been honored by the National Football Foundation, the College Football Hall of Fame and the All-American Football Foundation. The annual Johnny Holliday Scholarship Classic golf tournament has raised more than $1 million for the Youth Leadership Foundation.

Maryland head football coach DJ Durkin and Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson attended the banquet Thursday where legendary Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Jim Kelly was also honored.

Durkin lauded the high school coaches in attendance for their tireless work and commitment.

"Football a great sport and it wouldn't be what it is today without the support of DC Touchdown Club and the coaches who make this area so special," Durkin said

Later in the evening, Anderson introduced Holliday who received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Anderson shared how he first became familiar with Holliday as a youth in Northern California listening to him on the radio.

Anderson quipped that it was amazing that Holliday and Kelly – a former Buffalo Bill and five-time Pro Bowl quarterback - were being honored at the same event considering the Hall of Famer Kelly threw 237 career NFL touchdowns and that Holliday tossed just two career touchdowns -- the last of those memorable tosses coming in the late 1950s as a junior at North Miami High School.

"Johnny is a legend and a wonderful ambassador to our University," Anderson said. “For nearly four decades, he has been the iconic voice during our program's signature moments."

Holliday concluded the evening by expressing his genuine appreciation to his family, the University of Maryland and the DC Touchdown Club.

"I have had the pleasure of being in broadcasting for 60 years." Holliday shared. "And this is one of the most humbling awards that I have ever received."

Proceeds from the dinner benefited Patriot Point, the DC Bowl Committee’s retreat for recovering service members.